Creamy Kale and Turkey Sausage Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes

This Creamy Kale and Turkey Sausage Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes is definitely one of my new favorites! It’s been a while since I’ve shared a pasta recipe so I thought I should catch up, and since it’s been a while it had better be good! Oh and it is.

I was skeptical about turkey sausage, but I wanted to make this pasta lighter so I decided to give it a chance. I liked it just as much as any Italian pork sausage and it’s likely going to replace it in many recipes I make the majority of the time. I can’t wait to try it in this Zuppa Toscana Soup. If you are new to turkey sausage too, I used Jenn-o brand and I really liked it. I found it in the poultry section by the ground turkey.

Just a word of advice, buy the larger jar of sun dried tomatoes so you can use half for this recipe then use the other half for this irresistible Sun Dried Tomato Basil Hummus. It is seriously amazing!

You are going to love this pasta and since it uses plenty of fresh kale, turkey sausage and a lighter cream sauce you can feel good about eating it!

Instructions

Cook pasta according to directions on package, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water for the pasta sauce.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, stirring occasionally until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add in sun dried tomatoes and garlic and saute 30 seconds longer. Add in chicken broth and scrape bottom of pan to deglaze browned bits. Add kale, cook and toss occasionally until wilted and tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

While kale is cooking, in a medium saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook stirring constantly 1 minute. While whisking slowly pour in milk and whisk vigorously to smooth lumps. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook until mixture beings to bubble and thicken. Remove from heat, stir in cream and parmesan cheese. Pour milk mixture into sausage mixture along with drained pasta and toss to evenly coat. Stir in up to 1/2 cup reserved pasta water to reach desired consistency (as it sits the pasta will being to soak up the sauce so you can thin it out as needed with that pasta water). Serve warm.

26 comments

Laura ~ Raise Your Garden: This just looks marvelous! I like the Jenni-o Turkey sausage as well. I’m new to working with sausage because sometimes it scares me, but it’s good in recipes! March 3, 2015 at 7:11amReply

Rachel @ Bakerita: This dish looks amazing! That creamy sauce looks so good, especially with sun dried tomatoes – one of my favorites! This is pure comfort food, and looks perfect on a cold day like today. March 3, 2015 at 4:29pmReply

Vizhen: My boyfriend made it for us this week. It was delicious. I love sun dried tomatoes but i think I prefer or have gotten use to the ones in bag. He used the jarred tomatoes as suggested. They didn’t seem to have or add as much flavor to the dish as I think the ones in the bag would have added. He’s a great cook and I’m sure we will make this again but will try it out with spinach next time. March 29, 2015 at 3:27amReply

Ellen: Would this work with a lighter cream sauce? (Wondering if low fat or skim milk and ½ and ½ for heavy cream would work. Looks so good, but i wouldn’t call it a light cream sauce as written. April 7, 2015 at 9:51pmReply

Jaclyn: That should be just fine, the sauce won’t be quite as thick but should still be delicious! April 7, 2015 at 10:42pmReply

Kerry: This looks absolutely wonderful, but I can’t have any dairy. What would you recommend I use instead of the heavy cream? I’ve used almond milk or coconut milk in recipes before, and I’ve also used full fat coconut milk instead of cream. Do you think that would work for this recipe? December 9, 2017 at 8:14pmReply

C.: I’ve made this recipe so many times – one of my faves! Comfort food for sure. December 30, 2017 at 6:08pmReply

Amber: This is a favorite in our home. I make it with some pasta I make from scratch and add some red pepper flakes. It’s amazing and pretty quick and easy to make. January 15, 2018 at 3:34pmReply

Jaclyn: Thanks for taking the time to leave a review Amber! January 17, 2018 at 1:00pmReply

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